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What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Maybe it is Taco Bell, McDonald’s, or Wendy’s?
I love McDonald’s french fries as much as the next person. They taste so salty and are unbelievably addictive. You know exactly what I mean! Nobody does french fries like McDonalds.
In fact, they are so yummy that once a week after my daughters swimming class we will stop to get some french fries as a reward for her if she listened to her swimming teacher (she is a wiggly 3 year old!).
One day, as we were eating these tasty french fries, it really got me thinking about what I was teaching her about food by making it a reward.
And let’s be honest- it’s generally a win-win for me because she is a more focused swimming student and its a quick lunch addition.
Each week, before we go get the french fries (if earned!) we always eat an avocado- but does that balance out the bad stuff? I like to think the good food helps to offset the bad.
However, in a study published in 2005 in the “Canadian Journal of Public Health”, researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario, Canada found that areas with high concentrations of fast food restaurants are 2.62 times more likely to have exceptionally high levels of hospitalization for coronary disease. Yikes!
In addition, in 2009 the researchers at the University of California, Berkeley noted that living nearby a fast food restaurant is correlated to a 5.2 percent greater risk of developing obesity.
Not exactly part of my plan for teaching my daughter to be healthy. These are frightening observations.
Let’s take a closer look at what some of the effects of fast food on your body are.
6 SCARY EFFECTS OF FAST FOOD ON YOUR BODY
Fast food is known to contain a ton of calories and very little nutrition. Here are some major reasons to minimize the amount of fast food you consume.
Empty Calories
Fast food is loaded with empty calories. Steph Lowe, a nutritionist of The Natural Nutritionist explains, “an empty calorie refers to nutrient-poor foods and drinks that are usually full of added sugars and poor-quality fats”. There is very little nutritional value in highly processed foods so you aren’t getting any of the essential vitamins and fiber that your body needs when you consume these foods.
Spikes in Blood Sugar
Fast food tends to be high in simple carbohydrates that convert to sugar in the body. This causes blood sugar spikes that can throw your body out of balance while still providing very little in the way of nutrition. If your body is unable to control the spikes and crashes in your blood sugar, you can eventually go on to develop Type 2 diabetes.
Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance develops when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to insulin and can’t easily accept the glucose from your blood. As a result, your pancreas continues to makes more insulin to push the glucose into your cells. As long as your pancreas is able make enough insulin to overcome your cells’ weak insulin response then your blood glucose levels will remain in a healthy range. However, if insulin response continues to decline you may develop prediabetes.
Weight Gain
Excess weight, especially around the abdomen, is the main cause of insulin resistance. This weight is generally a result of consuming excess calories. As your body continues to gains weight, your insulin resistance levels can increase as well. This can eventually lead to obesity.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is another risk of a diet rich in fast foods. These foods generally tend to be high in sodium (and not the good kind of salt!). High blood pressure can place extra stress on your heart and cardiovascular system.
Bloating
High amounts of sodium can cause water retention resulting in feeling swollen or bloated. Feeling bloated can be uncomfortable and make you feel self conscious. According to the Centers for Disease Control, close to 90 percent of Americans eat too much sodium which can contribute to the bloated feeling.
THE SCARY TRUTH ABOUT FAST FOOD
The modern health food craze in the last several years makes it easy to assume that interest in fast food is declining. However, what you may not realize is it is very much the opposite. Fast food statistics show that this industry is thriving.
These days the fast food industry in the USA is worth nearly $198.9 billion. And this figure is predicted to eclipse $223 billion by 2020!
Fast food is a convenient and affordable way to eat on the run. And though fast food is convenient (and tasty!), there are statistical associations to weight gain, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions.
A good book that tackles our addiction to refined foods is FAST FOOD NATION: THE DARK SIDE OF THE ALL-AMERICAN MEAL by Eric Schlosser. I recommend reading this if you would like a deeper dive into the dark side of fast food.
Clearly, eating fast food can be a dangerous thing. So why don’t we see how dangerous it really is?
I Refuse To Bribe You.
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